Who reads Control Issues?
Anyone who is interested in the the science of addictive behaviour and how to change it. This could be readers who are struggling with controlling their own behaviour and are searching for explanations and a way forward. It could be readers who are affected by the addictive behaviour of someone close to them and are looking for insights and ideas about how to support them. Control Issues may be a useful resource for professionals and policy makers looking to improve services for people with or affected by addictive behaviour.
About Me…
I decided to post two biographies. An ‘official’ version that tells you about my professional credentials relevent to the content of Control Issues. Theres also an ‘unoffical’ version that gives you more about the person behind the professional. They are both me, and Control Issues is a product of both of them!
Let’s start with the personal!
The ‘unofficial’ author biography
Hello- my name is Paul.
I’ve worked as a clinical psychologist and research scientist for over thirty years. My work has mostly focussed on helping people to change their behaviour to improve their physical and mental health, and to make the world a fairer and less dangerous place for vulnerable people.
I’ve designed and researched dozens of interventions to change the way people eat, to prevent or manage health problems, or to overcome addictions like smoking, alcohol and sex.
I’ve always worked with issues relevant to my life and those I care about. It makes the work meaningful for me and hopefully more effective for those I work with.
Like many psychologists, I have experienced mental health issues throughout my life, both prior to qualifying as a psychologist and afterwards. Depression and anxiety have been longstanding acquaintances, and over the years I have had to course correct my behaviour many times to preserve my mental and physical wellbeing, or to overcome emotional barriers to achieving personal goals. The knowledge and skills I learned during my psychology training have been invaluable in helping me navigate life’s complexities.
Most recently, and for various reasons, I stopped drinking. This has been the singularly most transformative experience of my adult life (well, apart from meeting my partner and having kids!). And it’s not just me – millions of people are struggling with drinking too much and are seeking a healthier relationship with alcohol.
Giving up alcohol was hard. Unexpectedly hard. It took every tool in my professional toolkit to stop, and a few more tools that I had to develop on the way. Control Issues is my way of sharing this experience with others so they too can empower themselves to change their relationship with alcohol.
When I am not working I can usually be found trying to dunk myself in ice cold water, painting, printmaking or writing terrible poetry (like Captain of a Vogan Constructor Fleet terrible - IYKYK!). I like lifting reasonably heavy things in the gym, and sometimes I can be persuaded to go for a run.
The ‘official’ author biography
Dr. Paul Chadwick is a distinguished clinical and health psychologist with over three decades’ experience in transforming the behaviour and lives of children, adults, families and communities. Since qualifying in 2001, Paul has balanced his time between clinical practice and academia, developing and researching behaviour change programmes to improve physical and mental health and social injustice. A pioneer in the application of clinical psychology to public health, Paul’s programmes have transformed the lives of adults, children, and families worldwide. His work on reducing gender-based violence in low-income nations has been recognised by the prestigious Paris Peace Prize.
Paul has held senior leadership positions in the most prestigious academic centres for behaviour change science, including the world-renowned UCL Centre for Behaviour Change. He serves as an advisor to the UK's national and local governments. He co-led the Public Health England’s Behavioural Insights team during the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a director of the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Policy Research Unit in Behavioural Science until April 2022.
Control Issues is Dr. Chadwick’s first publication for a general audience interested in the science of addiction and recovery. His book, ‘Do I Drink Too Much? Stop Drinking Becoming a Life Limiting Addiction’ is available as an ebook on the Amazon and Kobo platforms
Why subscribe to Control Issues?
Subscriptions can be a scary word. Especially on the internet. It probably conjures up bad memories of being overwhelmed by endless, intrusive spam emails.
Emails sent from Control Issues will be sent only when a new article has been published. The email addresses you use to subscribe to any Substack publication are private and will never be shared with a third party. No other reader of Control Issues will be able to tell whether you have subscribed.
Liking posts on a publication on addiction may feel like an exposing thing to do. Not everyone is comfortable with actions that may be read by others in ways that might lead them to think you have a problem.
That is the point of Control Issues - to shed light on a very common but hidden taboo. To let people who feel stuck and alone with their drinking that they are not alone and that change is possible. For this reason, all articles will be accessible to anyone who is interested and can be accessed anonymously by simply coming directly to the website from their browser of choice. Many people who are concerned about their privacy use a seperate anonymous second email specifically to access content on addiction or mental health. This enables them to participate without risk.
‘Subscribes’ and ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ and ‘shares’ are the currency of substack. They are like Mario Kart ‘coins!’ They are markers of readers attention, what you like and like less. They help me understand if my writing is reaching people, and how I should adapt. I’m grateful for any feedback you have!
Finally, subscibing is the most reliable way to make sure you don’t miss any updates and have access to the publication archives.
Social media
If you are not a regular user of Substack, then it can be easy to lose touch. When Control Issues is updated it sends out updates to my Instagram and Facebook pages. You can follow along here:
Instagram: @notanothersobrietyblog
Facebook: Control Issues
